The present invention relates to audio mixing consoles operable by a user to perform various operation pertaining to signal processing on audio signals of a plurality, of channels, and more particularly to an audio mixing console which displays a pop-up screen in a display area provided on an operation panel.
Among the conventionally-known digital audio mixers are ones which include a display provided on a console (operation panel), and in which a base screen is opened on the display and in which, for a plurality of channels, primary ones of various setting parameters are displayed in a predetermined arrangement on the base screen. On the base screen, a user can adjust values of the displayed parameters while checking balance among the plurality of channels. Further, among the conventionally-known digital audio mixers are ones in which a pop-up screen is opened on the base screen, and in which, for a particular signal processing function, values of various setting parameters are displayed in detail. Thus, on the pop-up screen, a user can adjust in detail the values of the various setting parameters of the particular signal processing function (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2007-74623). Furthermore, an example of the pop-up screen is disclosed “DIGITAL MIXING CONSOLE M7CL Instruction Manual”, pp. 105-106, in 2005, Yamaha Co., (available on the Internet at http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/pa/japan/mixers/m7cl_ja_om_e0.p df), on which can be simultaneously displayed and edited various setting parameters of a particular signal processing function pertaining to eight channels selected via a channel selection switch.
The assignee of the present invention proposed a construction where two displays are displayed adjacent to each other on an operation panel of a mixer. In the proposed construction, if a pop-up screen displaying pieces of information of eight channels is displayed on each one of the two displays, then pieces of information of a total of 16 channels can be displayed and edited using the two pop-up screens displayed on the two displays.
In the case where the pieces of information of the 16 channels are displayed using the two pop-up screens as noted above, and when a group of the channels to be displayed on the pop-up screens are to be changed, the user has to perform channel selection operation separately per pop-up screen if the mixer is constructed in such a manner that the channel selection must be made per pop-up screen (i.e., a channel selection unit is one pop-up screen) as in the traditional mixer. Thus, the channel selection operation would take a lot of time and labor, resulting in inconveniences to the user.
Further, even in the construction where the two pop-up screens are used, all of the 16 channels are not always displayed together using the two pop-up screens. In other words, the group of the 16 channels displayed on the two pop-up screens is not always changed together or collectively, and thus, it is not preferable and not sufficient to merely uniformly make the channel selection unit two screens (i.e., 16 channels).
Namely, in the construction where the plurality of pop-up screens can be displayed together by use of the plurality of displays, the optimal channel selection unit (i.e., unit number of channels) tends to vary in accordance with usage situations of a pop-up screen to be currently displayed. Thus, the conventionally-known technique was not sufficient for the user to readily, promptly and accurately select a group of channels that is to be displayed on the pop-up screens.